The old Diener family farm house and the first dehydrater that the younger Ernest Diener built. Courtesy photo.

In commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of Lake County this year, Lake County News is publishing a series of historical stories about the county, its people and places. This week sisters Linda Dwillis and Pauline Dewitt recount the journey of the family, the Dieners, to Lake County in the 1880s.

Our great-grandpa, Gotlieb Diener, born on Jan. 11, 1852, came to America in 1884 with our great-grandma, Marie, who was born in 1844.

They brought with them their children, our grandpa Ernest, born in 1880, and his sister, Alice, born in 1882.

They boarded a train from San Francisco thinking it was taking them to Stockton; it went to Calistoga, the end of the line.

There they encountered some friends they knew in Germany which they had lost contact with, the Kugleman family.

Mr. Kugleman invited the Dieners to come with him to Lower Lake where he would give them work until they could be established on their own property.

They lived in his barn, worked for him for approximately a year and were able to save enough to purchase a woodcutters cabin and a few acres.

Our grandpa Diener married Pauline Engle, a young woman who wanted to come to the America so badly she put an ad in an American paper advertising her desire to find a husband in America.

Grandpa answered that ad and brought her to San Francisco where she lived with Uncle Munk Menzenmeir and his wife for a year.

Grandpa married her and moved her to the Diener farm. They had two children: William, born on May 19, 1923, and Ernest, born on March 9, 1925.

The Diener property grew to more than 1,200 acres. Fruit trees and grapevines were planted; wine and brandy were produced right there on the farm.

They continued to produce wine and brandy into the early years of prohibition; when they got word the revenuers were coming they buried everything. The farm became a full working farm with cattle, sheep, horses, chickens, pigs, etc.

Ernie and Ann Diener on their wedding day. Courtesy photo.

Great-grandpa Gotlieb was a stone mason and did the stone work on the dining hall at what used to be Siegler Springs Resort.

Grandpa was a woodworker and a very talented musician; he was part of a traveling band that played as far away as Fort Bragg and Willits; mind you, this travel was all by buckboard or Model T.

Dad, Ernest Diener, was owner/operator of Ernie Diener Construction and was very sought after by those needing land cleared.

For entertainment Grandpa Ernest Diener, the Kuglemans and other old time residents of Lower Lake use to race their Model Ts in what is called Manning Flat along Highway 29.

In the winter months the field would flood and they could not race so some local people hand dug a ditch to drain the water from the field down into Thurston Lake. That is how the big fault looking ditch was created on Manning Flat. A lot of people feel that is a fault line but it is not.

Dad, Ernest Diener, started the Lower Lake Fire House. The banker at Bank of America came to him while he was working at the Lower Lake Theatre as the projectionist to tell him about a truck he would foreclose on if he wanted it for a fire truck.

Lower Lake had no fire department and insurance was so expensive people couldn't afford it. So dad went to the other side of the lake to look at it and said, “Yes.”

With dad's know how and $100 Lower Lake had its first fire truck and thus the Lower Lake Fire Department opened for business.

Our Uncle Bill (William Diener) was fire chief for many years; his son, Charlie, is now fire captain, and his brother, Bill, is one of the department's firemen.

The family continues to harvest more than 200 acres of walnut orchard and vineyard. It's one of the few remaining operating walnut ranches in the county with two walnut dehydrators, both built by our father Ernie. The was first built during the war. The corrugated aluminum was in high demand at that time and our father had to petition with the state for the corrugated aluminum to build the dehydrater.

Some of our family still lives on the Diener Family Ranch, founded in circa 1885.

Visit the Lake County Sesquicentennial Web site at www.lc150.org or the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-Sesquicentennial/171845856177015.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

The Diener family reunion in 2010. Courtesy photo.

Willy Turner, 41, of Kelseyville, Calif., is recovering after having undergone surgery to remove a bullet. He was wounded on Saturday, September 10, 2011, when Andrew Serrano, 38, of Kelseyville, Calif., shot him during a confrontation. Courtesy photo.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – It's been a harrowing week for a Kelseyville man wounded in a Sept. 10 shooting, but following a Thursday surgery he's said to be on his way to recovery.

Willy Turner, 41, of Kelseyville, was shot in the chest during a confrontation last Saturday, as Lake County News has reported.

The man who shot Turner, 38-year-old Andrew James Serrano, is facing attempted murder and a host of other charges for the confrontation, during which he also is alleged to have seriously assaulted his estranged wife, Lesa Serrano.

Lesa Serrano and Turner had gone to the Big Valley Road home that she formerly had shared with Andrew Serrano to pick up some items. While they were there, Andrew Serrano arrived, allegedly confronted them and shot Turner once in the chest through a glass window, according to reports on the case.

Turner was flown by air ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, where he initially spent time in the intensive care unit for his wound, according to the “Pray for Willy Turner” Facebook page set up by his family.

The page, which can be found at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pray-for-Willy-Turner/274420952585517, has amassed more than 900 “likes” in the week it's been up.

People from Lake County and beyond have posted well wishes, prayers and encouragement for Turner, a well-liked father of three who was raised in Lake County and later served in the US Marines.

According to the postings by family members, doctors have spent a good part of the week stabilizing Turner and working to stop bleeding in his chest in order to safely proceed with surgery.

That surgery finally took place on Thursday, with doctors repairing damage to Turner's lung and removing the bullet, his family reported.

On Friday he was reported to be improving, eating a regular diet, had been taken off oxygen, was walking and in good spirits. Even before surgery, when his pain was greater, Turner's family reported that his sense of humor was still evident, with him telling jokes and stories.

Friends have been asked not to visit the hospital, but are welcome to post and send messages at the Facebook page.

His family has not stated when he will be released from the hospital, but Turner is expected to return home soon.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

Retired Alameda County Superior Court Judge William McKinstry – appointed to handle the case in the wake of the recusals of the entire Lake County Superior Court bench – handed down the decision Tuesday in the case filed by Sgt. Corey Paulich against the Lake County Sheriff's Office and the county of Lake.

County Counsel Anita Grant said her office received the decision from McKinstry on Thursday. Deputy County Counsel Lloyd Guintivano had represented the county in the case.

Paulich's attorney, Christopher Miller, said Thursday evening that he understood a decision had been issued but he had not yet seen it.

The suit, filed in July, alleged that Sheriff Frank Rivero personally had violated Paulich's rights under the Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights Act.

Paulich alleged that the violations arose from several interrogations following a March high speed chase. Two deputies under Paulich's supervision had participated in the chase, which was initiated by Clearlake Police, as Lake County News has reported.

Paulich had sought $150,000 in civil damages for the six alleged violations and attorney's costs, as well as the setting aside of a disciplinary investigation and the letter of reprimand that Rivero was proposing to place in Paulich's file.

McKinstry heard arguments in the case on Monday, Sept. 9.

In his six-page decision, McKinstry said that under law there are some investigations and interrogations of peace officers that don't fall under the Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights Act.

He cited portions of the act, including Government Code Section 3303(i), which states that it does not apply “to any interrogation of a public safety officer in the normal course of duty, counseling, instruction, or informal verbal admonishment by, or other routine or unplanned contact with, a supervisor or any other public safety officer ...”

“This entire matter, therefore, hinges on the nature of the conversations between Sheriff Rivero and Sergeant Paulich: Was it an interrogation that could lead to a punitive action – in which case the Sergeant should have been afforded the Act's procedural protections – or was it a routine interrogation in the normal course of duty, counseling, or informal verbal admonishment, such that no violation of his rights occurred?” McKinstry wrote.

Citing the county of Lake's and Rivero's declarations in the suit, McKinstry found that Rivero had the phone conversations and e-mail exchanges with Paulich in an effort to get more information on the high speed pursuit, which began over an expired vehicle registration.

McKinstry pointed out that there were discrepancies between the sheriff's watch commander logs' statement that the suspect vehicle, driven by Matthew Bronsert, crashed into the deputy's vehicle, and a statement by Clearlake Police Sgt. Tim Hobbs that the deputy forcibly stopped Bronsert's vehicle by ramming it.

The judge's analysis also stated that the watch commander log was Rivero's first notification of the chase. “The Sergeant had a duty to report serious incidents to him after they occurred,” McKinstry wrote.

On March 14, a day after the exchanges between Rivero and Paulich, Paulich was served with an internal affairs investigation, according to case documents.

“Petitioner attacks Sheriff Rivero's credibility, labeling his declaration as self-serving,” McKinstry wrote. “Petitioner argued that Sheriff Rivero lost control and was angry. The Court accepts Sheriff Rivero's explanation.”

McKinstry found that the nature of the conversations between Rivero and Paulich were those governed under Government Code Section 3303(i). “They occurred in the normal course of duty, counseling, and informal verbal admonishment, such that no violation of Sergeant Paulich's rights occurred.”

Further, McKinstry found that Rivero didn't act maliciously and that the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act – which governs labor-management relationships in counties and other local governments – was not violated.

While McKinstry also ruled that Paulich is to pay court costs and filing fees, Grant said that the county – as a government agency – doesn't pay those fees in the first place.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

The quake occurred at 1:14 p.m. two miles north of The Geysers, four miles west of Cobb and seven miles west northwest of Anderson Springs, according to the US Geological Survey.

The US Geological Survey said the event had not yet been reviewed by a geologist, so the magnitude may later be adjusted upon review.

Seven shake reports from six zip codes – Kelseyville, Middletown Healdsburg, Modesto, San Francisco and Roseburg, Ore. – were submitted to the US Geological Survey.

The last earthquake measuring 3.0 in magnitude or above in The Geysers area occurred on Aug. 17. On that date a 3.5-magnitude earthquake was reported three miles east of The Geysers, the US Geological Survey reported.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

Daniel Ray Loyd, 50, of Nice, Calif., was arraigned in Lake County Superior Court in Lakeport, Calif., on Thursday, September 15, 2011, for the murder of 48-year-old Cindy Yvette Quiett of Upper Lake, Calif., on Tuesday, September 13, 2011. Lake County Jail photo.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – A man who is alleged to have shot and killed an Upper Lake woman earlier this week is facing numerous felony charges, including one that could make his prosecution a capital murder case.

Daniel Ray Loyd, 50, of Nice, was arraigned on Thursday for the murder of 48-year-old Cindy Yvette Quiett, who died after being shot in the stomach early on Tuesday, Sept. 13, as Lake County News has reported.

A memorial page for Quiett has been set up at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Memorial-Page-for-Cindy-Yvette-Arevalo-Drinnon-Quiette/257600590946958.

Loyd's defense attorney, Doug Rhoades, said Thursday that discovery and reports in the case were not available and so Loyd did not enter a plea at his arraignment.

Loyd is set to return to court on Monday, Sept. 26, at which time Rhoades anticipated a plea will be entered.

On Friday Deputy District Attorney John DeChaine, who is prosecuting the case, said Loyd is facing numerous felony charges.

He is charged with murder, a special allegation of using a gun, and a second special allegation alleging that Quiett's homicide occurred during the commission of a robbery, DeChaine said.

Under the California Penal Code, that special allegation of homicide during a robbery can result in life without the possibility of parole. It is also one of approximately 22 required conditions that can merit the death penalty upon conviction.

Some of the other conditions for capital murder include drive-by shootings, torture, gang affiliation, lying in wait, and killing of a law enforcement officer, political leader, judge or witness, according to the Penal Code.

DeChaine said he couldn't speculate on when a decision would be made about whether or not to seek the death penalty in Loyd's case.

“No decision would be made this early in the investigation,” DeChaine said.

In April, District Attorney Don Anderson and his staff decided not to pursue the death penalty for Robby Beasley and Elijah McKay, accused of the January 2010 double murder of former Maine residents Frank and Yvette Maddox, as Lake County News has reported.

The other counts Loyd is facing in the Quiett homicide case include robbery and a special allegation of use of a firearm; assault with a firearm, with a special allegation of personally using a firearm; allegations of being a felon in possession of a firearm and a felon carrying a loaded firearm in public; being a felon in possession of ammunition; a misdemeanor charge of brandishing a firearm; and special allegations that Loyd had two prior state prison terms, which attach to all of the main counts in the case, DeChaine said.

Lakeport resident Angel Dusty Spring, 35, was arrested at the same time as Loyd on Tuesday.

Spring is alleged to have called Quiett and her companion, Lucerne resident Patrick Ryden, to go with her to the casino early Tuesday, and also allegedly was with with Loyd when the shooting occurred, according to the sheriff's report.

Spring was arrested for violation of probation and being under the influence of a controlled substance.

Since her Tuesday arrest Spring has been released, according to jail records.

DeChaine said Spring has so far not been charged with any other counts in relation to the shooting.

“The whole matter remains under investigation,” DeChaine said.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

Jeremy John Stanton, 35, of Hidden Valley Lake, Calif., was arrested just after on Wednesday, September 14, 2011, in Clearlake, Calif., for drugs and weapons charges. Lake County Jail photo.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Clearlake Police arrested a Hidden Valley Lake man Wednesday night after he allegedly discharged a firearm and was found to be in possession of drugs and another weapon.

Jeremy John Stanton, 35, was arrested just after 11 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 14, according to a report from Clearlake Police Sgt. Rodd Joseph.

Shortly after 9:30 p.m. Wednesday Clearlake Police officers were dispatched to the 14300 block of Memory Lane in Clearlake on a report of subjects arguing and gunshots heard, Joseph said.

When officers arrived on scene less than a minute after the call a male subject later identified as Stanton came out of the brush and spoke with officers, Joseph said.

Stanton made delusional statements to the investigating officers about someone shooting at him. Joseph said Stanton allegedly was displaying symptoms of being under the influence of a central nervous system stimulant.

Stanton allegedly admitted to officers being an intravenous drug user. Joseph said a double-barreled 12 gauge shotgun was found on the ground in close proximity to where officers had contacted Stanton. Stanton’s vehicle also was found parked in the parking lot.

During a search of the vehicle, a small quantity of methamphetamine was located along with

several unexpended shotgun rounds, numerous used hypodermic syringes and an illegal knife, Joseph said.

Witnesses interviewed told officers that Stanton was the only person in the parking lot and no other persons were seen, Joseph said.

Based on the investigation, Joseph said it was determined that the shotgun found belonged to Stanton as did the illegal knife, methamphetamine and syringes.

Police believe Stanton – who was alleged to be under the influence of a controlled substance – removed the shotgun from the trunk of his car and fired the shotgun in a negligent and reckless manner. No injured persons were located and no property damage was found as a result of the discharge of the shotgun, Joseph said.

Joseph said Stanton was arrested and charged with several felony counts, including possession of a controlled substance, illegal possession of hypodermic syringes, possession of an illegal weapon, negligent discharge of a firearm and possession of a controlled substance while armed with a firearm.

Stanton later was booked into the Lake County Jail, with bail set at $30,000. Jail records indicated that Stanton remained in custody on Thursday evening.

The Clearlake Police Department thanked the persons who came forward to not only call 911 about the criminal activity, but also who remained on scene and spoke with the investigating officers once Stanton was safely in custody.

Anyone with additional information about this incident or any other crime occurring in the city of Clearlake is asked to contact the police department at 707-994-8251. Callers may remain anonymous.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

An artist's concept of Kepler-16b, the first planet known to definitively orbit two stars -- what's called a circumbinary planet. The planet, which can be seen in the foreground, was discovered by NASA's Kepler mission. Image courtesy of NASA.

The existence of a world with a double sunset, as portrayed in the film Star Wars more than 30 years ago, is now scientific fact.

NASA's Kepler mission has made the first unambiguous detection of a circumbinary planet – a planet orbiting two stars – 200 light-years from Earth.

Unlike Star Wars’ Tatooine, the planet is cold, gaseous and not thought to harbor life, but its discovery demonstrates the diversity of planets in our galaxy.

Previous research has hinted at the existence of circumbinary planets, but clear confirmation proved elusive.

Kepler detected such a planet, known as Kepler-16b, by observing transits, where the brightness of a parent star dims from the planet crossing in front of it.

“This discovery confirms a new class of planetary systems that could harbor life,” Kepler principal investigator William Borucki said. “Given that most stars in our galaxy are part of a binary system, this means the opportunities for life are much broader than if planets form only around single stars. This milestone discovery confirms a theory that scientists have had for decades but could not prove until now.”

A research team led by Laurance Doyle of the SETI Institute in Mountain View, Calif., used data from the Kepler space telescope, which measures dips in the brightness of more than 150,000 stars, to search for transiting planets.

Kepler is the first NASA mission capable of finding Earth-size planets in or near the “habitable zone,” the region in a planetary system where liquid water can exist on the surface of the orbiting planet.

Scientists detected the new planet in the Kepler-16 system, a pair of orbiting stars that eclipse each other from our vantage point on Earth.

When the smaller star partially blocks the larger star, a primary eclipse occurs, and a secondary eclipse occurs when the smaller star is occulted, or completely blocked, by the larger star.

Astronomers further observed that the brightness of the system dipped even when the stars were not eclipsing one another, hinting at a third body.

The additional dimming in brightness events, called the tertiary and quaternary eclipses, reappeared at irregular intervals of time, indicating the stars were in different positions in their orbit each time the third body passed. This showed the third body was circling, not just one, but both stars, in a wide circumbinary orbit.

The gravitational tug on the stars, measured by changes in their eclipse times, was a good indicator of the mass of the third body. Only a very slight gravitational pull was detected, one that only could be caused by a small mass.

The findings are described in a new study that was published Friday, Sept. 16, in the journal Science.

“Most of what we know about the sizes of stars comes from such eclipsing binary systems, and most of what we know about the size of planets comes from transits,” said Doyle, who also is the lead author and a Kepler participating scientist. “Kepler-16 combines the best of both worlds, with stellar eclipses and planetary transits in one system.”

This discovery confirms that Kepler-16b is an inhospitable, cold world about the size of Saturn and thought to be made up of about half rock and half gas.

The parent stars are smaller than our sun. One is 69 percent the mass of the sun and the other only 20 percent.

Kepler-16b orbits around both stars every 229 days, similar to Venus’ 225-day orbit, but lies outside the system’s habitable zone, where liquid water could exist on the surface, because the stars are cooler than our sun.

“Working in film, we often are tasked with creating something never before seen,” said visual effects supervisor John Knoll of Industrial Light & Magic, a division of Lucasfilm Ltd., in San Francisco. “However, more often than not, scientific discoveries prove to be more spectacular than anything we dare imagine. There is no doubt these discoveries influence and inspire storytellers. Their very existence serves as cause to dream bigger and open our minds to new possibilities beyond what we think we know.”

For more information about the Kepler-16 discovery, visit http://kepler.nasa.gov/Mission/discoveries/kepler16b/ .

Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

Celestial Summer Dove Cassman, 35, of Santa Cruz, Calif., died Thursday, September 1, 2011. Courtesy photo.

The memorial service for Celestial Summer Dove Cassman, 35, will be held at 3 p.m. at Lighthouse Point in Santa Cruz on Saturday, Sept. 24.

Her family is holding the service at the spot overlooking the ocean, which she loved.

Cassman was found murdered near Nakalele Point in Maui on Sept. 1, a day after she and her ex-boyfriend, Gerald W. Galaway Jr. arrived on the island, according to authorities.

Galaway attempted to escape from police by jumping off a 100-foot cliff into the ocean. He was later rescued and hospitalized, and last week was formally arrested and charged with her murder.

Hawaiian media reported that Galaway has entered a not guilty plea in the case.

Cassman, who graduated from Clear Lake High School in Lakeport in 1994, received a bachelor's degree from University of California, Santa Cruz, later going on to receive a law degree from UC Davis' law school.

A much-loved woman and a well-respected attorney, Cassman returned to Santa Cruz in 2007 to accept a job with the law firm Atchison, Barisone, Condotti and Kovacevich.

Cassman's family said she often could be seen pedaling her bicycle or riding her pink motor scooter to work, complete with high heels, business suit and a flower in her hair.

Working in the field of public law, she served as deputy city attorney for the coastal cities of Santa Cruz, Capitola and Half Moon Bay, according to her family.

Cassman's obituary can be found here: http://lakeconews.com/content/view/21451/938/.

A memorial Web page can be viewed at www.ilasting.com/celestialdovecassman.php .

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

Ronald Ralph Shields, 59, of Clearlake, Calif., was arrested on Tuesday, September 13, 2011, for burglary and a felony parole violation. Lake County Jail photo.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Police have arrested a suspect in a residential burglary.

Ronald Ralph Shields, 59, of Clearlake was arrested on the afternoon of Tuesday, Sept. 13, according to a report from the Clearlake Police Department.

At 3:30 p.m. that day Clearlake Police officers were dispatched to the 13900 block of Lakeshore Drive for a report of an in progress burglary, the agency reported.

Police said the reporting party directed officers to a vacation residence where it was believed the suspect was located. Officers discovered a broken window and other evidence which corroborated the witnesses statements.

While searching the property a male subject, later identified as Shields, was located near the residence. The police report said evidence linked Shields to the crime and he was detained.

During the investigation it was discovered that Shields allegedly was on active parole out of Shasta County for driving under the influence, police reported.

Ronald Shields was charged with felony burglary and a felony parole violation. He later was booked into the Lake County jail, with a no-bail hold placed on him due to the alleged violation of parole, according to jail records.

The Clearlake Police Department thanked all the witnesses involved in apprehending Shields.

Any citizens who witness any type of suspicious activities are encouraged to contact the Clearlake Police Department at 707-994-8251.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

A new grant will assist with updating facilities and infrastructure at the Donald and Sylvia McLaughlin Reserve located near Lower Lake, Calif. Photo courtesy of the McLaughlin Reserve.

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Thanks to a newly awarded grant, the Donald and Sylvia McLaughlin Reserve near Lower Lake will see new improvements of its infrastructure and facilities.

On Tuesday, Sept. 13, the California Wildlife Conservation Board voted to approve a proposal from the University of California to fund $1,725,000 in facilities and infrastructure improvements at the McLaughlin Reserve, located at the junction of Lake, Napa, and Yolo counties.

The 7,000-acre reserve is one of five sites managed by UC Davis as part of the statewide UC Natural Reserve System, which is dedicated to supporting research, teaching, and public outreach related to California’s diverse natural ecosystems.

Funding for the project will come from the Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Supply, Flood Control, River and Coastal Protection Fund of 2006 (Proposition 84), according to a Friday report from the reserve.

Matching funds for the entire project, valued at $3.5 million – including property acquisition, construction and long-term management – come from Homestake Mining Co. of California, the National Science Foundation and UC Davis.

The McLaughlin Reserve occupies the site of Homestake’s former McLaughlin mine, and existing facilities and infrastructure were originally constructed for mine use.

Grant funds will be used to rescale industrial infrastructure for academic use, increase the accommodations available to visiting researchers and students, develop new lab and teaching space in existing buildings, construct a greenhouse and shadehouse complex, construct an outdoor classroom and install native landscaping, increase the energy and resource use efficiency of existing facilities, and to construct a staff residence, which will allow for increased staff support for reserve users.

An environmental review of the project has been completed – the project is categorically exempt under the California Environmental Quality Act – and construction will begin immediately.

Project completion is anticipated by the end of 2015, officials reported.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

The sweep occurred on Wednesday, Sept. 14, and Thursday, Sept. 15, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Participating in the effort were the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Gang Task Force, Lake County Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force, a Lake County Probation officer, Lakeport Police’s gang officer and a Clearlake Gang officer in conjunction with 12 Homeland Security investigators, the sheriff's office reported.

Arrested were Evered Allan Billings, 39, of Clearlake, for a probation violation; Donald Ray Cervelli, 36, of Lucerne, for a bench warrant; Gregory Howard Penn, 51, of Lucerne, for an outside agency warrant; Joni Jo McCabe, 52, of Clearlake Oaks, for possession of a controlled substance, possession of controlled substance paraphernalia and use or under the influence of a controlled substance; Robert Eugene Bradley, 30, of Clearlake Park, on a bench warrant; Miguel Alvarez-Barajas, 35, of Clearlake, for an immigration violation; Joel Velazquez-Ornelas, 27, of Kelseyville, an immigration violation, specifically, reentry of a deported alien; and Luis Rodriguez-Lomeli, 27, false compartment in a vehicle and immigration violation.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office Gang Task Force or Narcotics Task Force can be contacted through the sheriff's office's anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

The commission voted 3-0 to close the fishery in the entirety of Sonoma County. Commissioners Daniel Richards and Richard Rogers were not in attendance.

This action was taken in the wake of confirmed reports of dead red abalone and other invertebrates on beaches and inside coves along the coast in these areas, the Department of Fish and Game reported.

Data continue to be collected that shows an abalone die-off along the Sonoma coast beginning Aug. 27. According to Department of Fish and Game biologists, these abalone deaths coincided with a local red tide bloom and calm ocean conditions.

Although the exact reasons for the abalone deaths are not known, invertebrate die-offs have occurred in the past along the Northern California coast due to lack of oxygen and/or poisoning when similar weather and bloom conditions existed but not at the magnitude of this event, according to a Department of Fish and Game report.

The agency is assessing the impact of the situation and provided the commission with information at Thursday’s meeting.

Reports of dead abalone and a variety of invertebrates have come from Bodega Bay, Russian Gulch, Fort Ross, Timber Cove and Salt Point State Park in Sonoma County and as far north as Anchor Bay in Mendocino County, the agency said.

Other Department of Fish and Game biologists and game wardens have collected abalone, mussels and water samples since the beginning and are continuing to document reports from the public.

The public is encouraged to report the location, number and date of dead or dying abalone to Ian Taniguchi at 562-342-7182 or by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The exact implementation date of the emergency closure will be determined by the regulatory process and is expected soon. Information will be available at the commission’s Web site at www.fgc.ca.gov.

Divers are encouraged to avoid diving in the affected areas, according to Fish and Game.

Abalone fishermen are advised to contact a physician immediately if they feel sick, and to report symptoms to the local county health department (www.sonoma-county.org/health/about/publichealth.asp).

The latest red tide updates from the California Department of Public Health are posted online at www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/Pages/DDWEM.aspx.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.